Sailor rescued off coast of Spain after wife raises alarm from London

A British sailor who spent four days adrift on an inflatable life raft after his motorboat capsized in rough seas off Spain was rescued after his wife raised the alarm in London.

Safe: Jayesh Patel (right) after his rescue off SpainPhoto: SOLARPIX.COM

By Fiona Govan in Madrid

6:28PM GMT 21 Nov 2008

Jayesh Patel, 43, and a Belgian friend left the holiday island of Majorca bound for the port of Tarragona on the Spanish mainland on November 12.

But within hours of setting off the 44ft motorboat Umbalika capsized in rough seas and sank before the experienced sailors could make a mayday call.

The pair were only rescued after Mr Patel's wife raised the alarm from their home in Barnet, north London, because she had not heard from him in 24 hours.

Louise Patel dialled 999 on November 13 after becoming concerned when her husband failed to call in on completing what was meant to have been a 22 hour trip.

The 43-year-old mother of two was put through to the Thames Coastguard where staff alerted the International Coastguard Liaison Station at Falmouth, Cornwall, and a message was relayed to Spanish coastguards.

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"No one was aware of the problem until the sailor's wife dialled 999," said a spokesman from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

"The two men were experienced sailors and the woman provided a lot of information about them, their boat and their plans."

An air and sea search was launched and the pair were eventually picked up after spending four days and three nights in the life raft. A rescue ship found them floating four-and-a-half miles from the island of Sa Dragonera, off the west coast of Majorca last Saturday.

They survived on emergency rations of dry biscuits and drinking water.

"They were eventually rescued after four days and three nights in the life raft and after an air sea search covering 20,000 sq km," said the MCA spokesman.

"One of the lessons is that if you have any concerns about anyone anywhere at sea then tell the authorities and something can be done no matter where you are," the spokesman said adding that the pair had been given the all clear by doctors after the ordeal and had now returned home.

Miguel Chicon, director of the Maritime Rescue Centre in Palma, Majorca, told Spanish reporters on the weekend: "It's a miracle they have been found. The last contact anyone had with them was on Wednesday night when they spoke to their relatives to say they had hit high seas and the boat was rolling and pitching.

"On Friday we began to think the boat must have capsized and began searching for debris or a life craft. I called the captain's wife with the news he was OK. She was overcome - she could not speak."